A New Home for the School of Music

​​​​​This past week, an exciting announcement was made: The
construction of a new School of Music ​building has begun! There has been talk
of this new, state-of-the-art building for a couple years – though due to
funding the project has been delayed until now. There is a lot of excitement
amongst students, faculty and staff who have been anticipating this for quite
some time. As prospective DePaul students, especially if you’re interested in
the School of Music, there are a few things you should know.

1. There is going to be a lot of construction.

Though the School of Music building and the concert hall
will remain standing, the building that sits parallel to N. Halsted st. (also known
as McGaw Hall) will be demolished in January. The parking lot that exists now
will no longer be available, as crews will need the space for construction. You
can see a construction timeline here​.

2. You will have a place to practice.

Another reason why construction has not begun until now is
because crews have been renovating a building on campus for us to use during
this time. Don’t worry! It’s only a short walk to the Annex (the previous home
of the Theatre School) from the School of Music. Students will be able to
practice from 8am-9pm on weekdays and 9am-9pm on weekends. Need more time?
You’ll be able to head over to the O’Connell building to practice between
9pm-12am. There are also practice rooms under the DePaul concert hall and many professors
allow you to sign out their studio rooms. Getting your daily scales and etudes
in won’t be a problem.

3. You’ll take the same classes and same lessons with our amazing
faculty.

Though facilities certainly are an important element in
choosing a college, I think the faculty and programs available trump buildings.
Regardless of the construction and renovations, you’ll still be taking lessons
and classes with the same esteemed faculty.

This is a sketch of what the new building will look like!4. It will be worth the wait.

This new building will have four different performance
spaces, designed specifically for our DePaul ensembles. A 505-seat concert
hall, a 76-seat jazz hall with a “club” vibe and two recital halls; a
140-seater and a 81-seater to provide students with the best possible setting
to showcase their talents. Brand-new studios, practice spaces and classrooms are
also in the plans. I heard from a reliable source that there will be five whole
classrooms and storage space just for the music education department – how
amazing is that?!

The musicians, faculty and staff​ are what make the DePaul
School of Music special. Though you will have a beautiful, new facility at some
point during your time at DePaul, it’s the people inside who make your
education worthwhile.This period of
construction is a small price to pay for the outstanding space that will help
to showcase the extraordinary musicians (including you!) who attend DePaul.

If you’d like more information about construction, FAQs and
facility facts, click here​.​